Acceptance
by CRIMS0NKNIGHT
Summary: This further explores the growing animosity between Marco and Spin that came about after the events of "Pride" & follows Spin's desire to remain friends with Marco leading to his helping out Marco in the episode "It's Raining Men" Non-slash!


This story takes place after the events of "Pride" and before the episode "It's Raining Men" This further explores the growing animosity between Marco and Spin that came about after the events of "Pride" and follows Spin's desire to remain friends with Marco which led to him helping out Marco in the episode "It's Raining Men" Non-slash!

Acceptance  
  
By: Andre Rivera   
  
Friday after school. It was the time to relax or a time to party for most of the students at Degrassi. For Marco it wasn't the time to relax or to go out and party. He had too much on his mind. He couldn't feel at ease. A heavy burden had been dropped on his shoulders and it was beginning to become too much for him to bear.   
  
The week had been so hectic. He knew his "coming out" would come with consequences. He just wasn't prepared for other people's reactions. His being attacked in the park was one thing, but Spinner was another. Spinner's reaction took him by surprise. After all he and Spin had been the best of friends a while now. They were like brothers who were complete opposites of each other. Sure Spinner was a little immature and the least open-minded of all the people he knew, but he expected Spinner to react more rationally. It was difficult to comprehend and he almost wished he hadn't told him. His heart ached at the realization that he and Spin's friendship would never be the same again..  
  
As he sat by the lone tree in the front of the school, he stared blankly at the ground below him. He didn't take any notice of his friends who waved him goodbye. To them it was like in Marco's eyes, they weren't even there. His mind was elsewhere being bombarded by countless thoughts of "what ifs" and "whys?" The most prominent of these were the "why mes".  
  
He was suddenly shaken out of his silent and deep contemplation by a warm, unfamiliar touch on his left shoulder. Marco looked up into concerned eyes. It was Dylan. Almost a week ago, he would have fainted if Dylan had touched him the way he had. Now things were different. He could care less who touched him. Actually he didn't want to be touched at all. He just wanted to be left alone.   
  
"Hey Marco, what's up?' Dylan asked. He tried to reveal his concern for Marco through the tone of his voice. He moved to sit next to Marco, despite the small space the tree provided. Hesitantly Marco made space for him and Dylan tried to make himself comfortable. "You've been acting strange all week," he said to Marco who appeared not to be listening. "Seriously man, if you wanna-"  
  
"-Actually Dylan," Marco interrupted. He moved away from Dylan and stood to leave. "I really don't feel like talking right now," he said as he started walking away.   
  
Dylan was about to say something, but Marco had already started walking away. He felt a little awkward about how Marco reacted to his attempt to talk to him. Maybe Marco would resolve his problems during the weekend, he hoped. Then maybe next week they would be able to talk..

x x x

Spinner was exhausted. He refused to go out with his friends tonight. He could barely walk. He knew he wouldn't have been able to keep up with them if he did decide come along.   
  
Of all the days of the week, his teachers had to choose Friday to give him pop quizzes. Even his P.E. teacher gave him a physical fitness test. He barely had time to study much less contemplate his current situation with Marco. But he decided none of that mattered now. The Superstation was airing his favorite childhood movie _The Mighty Ducks_ tonight and he wasn't about to miss it. He sat in the comfort of his living room with a bucket of chicken wings ready to eat on his lap. To someone watching him from afar it would seem as though he didn't have a care in the world. But in fact, something tugged at his heart, but he allowed himself to ignore it... for now.  
  
Thoughts of Marco appeared in his head once again. No matter how hard he tried to push the thoughts aside, they kept returning. The time of Marco's confession kept replaying in his head over and over again. He shook his head to draw out all the confusing thoughts and for the time being they left.   
  
Halfway through the movie when a commercial started to play, he thought about how great a friendship the teammates had with each other. He had plenty of friends, he thought, but none of them had the kind of friendship he and Marco had. As far as he could tell, he and Marco had been the closest thing to brothers. Though they had been friends for only a short time it was like they grew up together. They were nearly inseparable. But now he couldn't stand to be near Marco. It was like Marco was a totally different person. Why did Marco all of a sudden wanted to shift to a unhealthy and unacceptable lifestyle? He kept asking himself the same question, but he found no definite answer.  
  
The last time he last saw Marco face to face was during the bathroom incident. Sure he had seen him in class, but it wasn't like they talked each other. During the time they were in the bathroom together something scared him. He had seen sincerity and longing in Marco's eyes. What if Marco had been telling the truth? What if Marco really was what he said he was? What if he really was gay? He pushed the questions out of his head and resumed watching his favorite movie.  
  
When the movie came to an end, Spin began to feel a drowsiness pass over him. He was tired, so he decided to allow the drowsiness to take over him. Within seconds, Spin had fallen into a deep and somewhat comfortable sleep.

x x x

Marco spent his entire afternoon at the park walking with his head down and his hands in his pockets. People who knew him inquired if anything was the matter(Mostly friends of his parents). He replied by offering them friendly smiles, but not much else.  
  
Evening came and he settled himself on a bench overlooking the man-made pond. It was his favorite place to sit and he wouldn't hesitate to visit it every time he was at the park He sat there for a while contemplating on his life and the events that had transpired during the week.  
  
"Well what do we have here?" came a voice from behind Marco.   
  
Marco's initial reaction to this was to turn his head and see for himself who the source of the voice was. When his eyes met a four pairs of angry and familiar eyes, he immediately got up to face them. The guys that attacked him last week were here.   
  
"Look guys, I really don't want any trouble," he pleaded as he backed away from the approaching group. He looked around and was disappointed to see the park completely empty. There was no one around to help him. He wouldn't be able to call for help either. His cell phone was too badly damaged from the last incident he had with these guys and he needed to purchase a new one. His steps nearly faltered as he struggled to keep his overwhelming fear at bay. "If y-you w-want my money," he stuttered. As if the situation wasn't bad enough, he managed to avoid seeing a crack in the ground and stumbled as he stepped on it. He then removed his wallet from his pocket and fumbled through it in a desperate attempt to bribe his attackers. "I've, got about-"  
  
"We don't want your money faggot!" One of the attackers said as he knocked away the wallet from Marco's trembling hands. His clenched fists clearly revealed his intentions. He looked at Marco's frightened form and let out a disgusted laugh before kicking Marco hard on his side. A sadistic smile covered his face as he watched Marco yell out in pain. He was going to finish what he started last week.

x x x

It was hot-too hot for Spinner to stay asleep no matter how comfortable it was. He got up from the couch and wiped the beads of sweat scattered on his forehead. Judging by the numbers on the clock, he decided that it was still pretty early. A drive would be nice, he thought. At least the car had air conditioning. The air conditioning in the house was yet to be repaired. He ran across the room to the kitchen counter where his mom left her car keys and quickly grabbed them. He figured that a note on the table would make his parents less worried when they found out he had gone out. So he did just that and rushed out the door.  
  
He didn't drive more than three miles from home when he finally brought the car to a stop. He stopped at the park, a place he hadn't visited since he was a child. He remembered this place being his favorite hangout as a kid. It hadn't changed much since then.  
  
When he stepped out of his mom's car he heard the cries for help.   
  
Spinner ran. He ran past the man-made pond-his favorite area of the park-without even realizing it. He knew he wasn't a hero, but he was taught to do the right thing. The right thing, he knew, was to help. Because he had no cell phone, he couldn't contact the police for help and he didn't want to leave the park in search of help knowing things might get worse by the time he got back.  
  
He ran up the slopes and past the playground. Then he ran down the hill to other side of the park where he witnessed a group of four boys jumping one other boy. As he got closer, he recognized the victim, despite the blood and bruises covering his body.  
  
"Hey!" he tried to get their attention. "Leave him alone!"  
  
Upon hearing the voice, the group began to scatter, but one last blow was dealt to Marco's face before the group finally disappeared from the park. The well-aimed punch hit Marco right on his left temple, knocking him flat on the ground. Marco lay on the ground, breathing hard and trying to hold back a flood of tears.  
  
"Marco, are you all right?" Spinner asked as he knelt beside Marco. He judged that Marco's injuries weren't too serious. Just a few noticeable cuts and bruises. Marco would recover. He could see that Marco's face bore an expression of pain so he helped him up so he could get some treatment for his injuries. When Marco was back on his feet, he pushed Spin aside.  
  
"What happened here?" Spinner inquired, a bit surprised at Marco's reaction.   
  
"What the hell do you think happened here, Spin?" Marco bitterly replied. He shook his head and released a barely audible chuckle. A tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek. It brought a stinging sensation to his face as it met one of the cuts on his cheek. Despite all that had transpired, he still managed to keep a smile on his face. This bothered Spinner. "I just got my ass beat," he said in calmer tone. "By the same people from last week." He then fell on his knees and shook his head.   
  
Speechless, Spin stared worriedly at Marco. He reached out a hand to help Marco up, but Marco refused the friendly gesture by giving Spin a blank smile. Tears continued to stream down Marco's face, but Spin didn't care. If he didn't want to be helped then that was his problem. "Suit yourself. Go ahead and sit here and cry like a little girl. You're a bigger fag than I thought." Spin said as he began to walk away.  
  
"Some friend you are," Marco muttered softly, but loud enough for Spin to hear.  
  
Spin stopped and looked back. Marco was staring him right in the eye. Spin felt uncomfortable at the cold stare.  
  
"You're no better than them!" Marco snapped angrily. Spin was taken aback by the harsh comment, but quickly recovered and shook his head as he tried to put on a fake smile. "What are you trying to say?" he asked.  
  
"Why can't you accept me for who I am Spin?" Marco got up to face Spin. The tears were still in his eyes, but he kept them from falling. "Why Spin? I'm still the same person, aren't I?"  
  
"No you're not!" Spin exclaimed as a confused look came over his face. Turning away from Marco, he said " You're different, You're not the Marco I used to know. You've changed. You're like a stranger or something dude."  
  
"Because I'm gay?" Marco quickly asked before Spin could continue. He put a hand on Spin's shoulder. "What does my lifestyle matter to you?"  
  
Spinner shrugged off Marco's hand and turned to face him once again. "I don't agree with it," he answered. "I-It makes me feel really uncom-"  
  
"-And what do you expect me to do about it?" Marco interrupted. A tear strayed down his cheek and he quickly wiped it off. Spin's reaction was that of utter bewilderment. It hurt him to see how hard it was for Spin to understand. His emotions were really starting to get the better of him. But he wouldn't allow himself to break down here. Not in front of Spinner. He searched deep within himself for the courage to continue and found it. Finally he said "So, you want me to force myself to be someone I'm not? Is that it Spin? Is that what you want me to do?"  
  
"Well-"   
  
"Well what? You really don't understand do you Spin? I'm not going to do that! I've been living a lie for far too long and I'm tired of it! Im exhausted Spin!" Marco took a moment to breath. Then in a calmer tone he said "Every second that I continued to hide it, I kept losing a part of myself. It took so much out of me. It was threatening to tear me part. Don't you understand?"  
  
An awkward silence ensued. Marco's emotions had already gotten the better of him and he finally broke down. Despite this, he still managed to say something.  
  
"Do you know what did tear me apart, Spin?" Marco asked, but gave Spin no time to reply. "The way you reacted when I told you. I thought you'd be a little more understanding, but you weren't. When you walked away you looked at me as if our friendship meant nothing to you. As if it was never there to being with. I lost a big part of myself that day, Spin and I would do just about anything to get it back." He smiled a false smile and wiped away his tears. After giving Spinner one final look, he turned and started walking away. "I guess it's not going to happen." he finished.  
  
"Wait! Marco I-" Spin cut himself off. He didn't know what to say. He'd been a jerk and he just realized it. Apologizing to Marco would have been a good idea. The only problem was he didn't know how.   
  
Silently he whispered to himself as if he was still talking to Marco "Marco...I'm still your friend."  
  
Marco continued to walk away until Spin saw him disappear into the darkness. Spin was glad he wasn't the emotional type, but he couldn't help feeling a little empty. Somehow he'd try to make it up to Marco. But how?  
  
As Marco continued to walk, he felt the hurt deep within him burrow deeper and deeper. Another word from Spinner, another thought about him-the tears came like an unstoppable deluge and willingly he let them fall. He realized if Spin reacted to his confession the way he did, how would his parents react to it? He decided it was a good idea not to tell them. But what was he supposed to do now? Move on, he thought. Maybe he would be able to find comfort with Dylan's friendship even if a relationship with him wasn't possible. However, not even a friendship with Dylan could fill the hole Spinner left behind nor would it stop the pain. But he would move on. He'd have to.


End file.
